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Minestrone Soup

October 16, 2024

This traditional minestrone soup recipe is one of our favorite ways to warm up and get cozy! It’s packed with fresh vegetables and a savory tomato broth, perfect for serving alongside bread.

Categories

  • Spring
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Soup
  • One Pot
homemade minestrone soup topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil in a bowl with a spoon in it
Photography by Gayle McLeod

The Best Minestrone Soup!

Why is this the best minestrone soup, you may ask? We have three really good reasons! It’s sooo homey – reminiscent of our grandmother’s kitchen with the smell of garlic and onions lingering in the air. It’s budget and pantry friendly – all items can be found easily in the grocery store or the back of your fridge, and it won’t break the bank! It’s chock full of nutrients while also being unbelievably delicious. Did we convince you? You’ll have to try it for yourself.

ingredients for minestrone soup in prep bowls: stock, pasta, vegetables, spices, cannellini beans, fresh basil and parmesan

What Is In Minestrone Soup?

An authentic Italian minestrone soup has – you guessed it – lots of veggies! The broth is tomatoey, rich, and complex in flavor. It’s the perfect warm winter soup.

Here’s what you’ll need to make our easy minestrone soup recipe:

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

  • Yellow onion

  • Celery

  • Carrots

  • Garlic cloves

  • Fennel seeds

  • Vegetable or chicken stock

  • Tomato sauce

  • Diced tomatoes

  • Green bean

  • Italian seasoning

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly cracked black pepper

  • Cannellini beans

  • Ditalini or other short-cut pasta

  • Fresh basil leaves

  • Baby spinach

  • Fresh Parmesan cheese

onions, celery, carrots, garlic and fennel seeds being cooked in olive oil in a large soup pot
stock, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, green beans and spices being added to a soup pot with cooked vegetables

How To Make Minestrone Soup

Follow these easy steps to make the best minestrone soup:

  1. Cook the mirepoix! Heat olive oil in a pan until glistening, then add the carrots, onions, and celery!

  2. Season! Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook until you can smell a toasty aroma!

  3. Make the base! Add the stock, water, all the tomatoes, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and once the beans start to soften, about 7 minutes, add in the pasta until tender. Pro Tip: Check the pasta box instructions for timing – you can cook them to your desired doneness!

  4. Finish it off! Add in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes

  5. Garnish and Serve! Top with Parm and basil, and enjoy!

cannellini beans and pasta being added to a soup pot with other ingredients for minestrone soup
fresh basil and spinach being added to a pot of homemade minestrone soup

Tips and Tricks for Homemade Minestrone Soup

  • Make it dietary-friendly! Sub chicken stock for vegetable broth for vegetarians! For vegans, or those watching dairy intake, omit the parmesan!

  • Make it your own! Substitute for seasonal veggies: sub spinach for kale or green beans for peas, whatever makes sense for you and your family – but consider the water content of the vegetables! Swap white beans for kidney beans! Add potatoes or ground sausage for additional heartiness! The world is your dutch oven!

  • Don’t have pasta on hand? No worries, you can double the beans! Or, try farro or a hearty whole grain like farro or barley.

  • For another easy, delicious vegetarian meal-in-a-bowl, check out our creamy Vegetable Curry Soup!

a ladle in a pot of homemade minestrone soup made with pasta, cannellini beans, green beans, carrots, celery and onion

How to Serve Minestrone Soup

This recipe for minestrone soup has a tomatoey, homestyle broth that pairs perfectly with crusty Garlic Bread or Sourdough. It’s hearty enough to be a lunch; a fresh green salad is our go-to accompaniment. Try a Classic Cobb Salad, Chopped Salad with Herb Yogurt Dressing, or a Caesar Salad. Keep it light with a Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette. Or, throw whatever greens you have together and test out one of The Best Homemade Salad Dressings! To make this into an even heartier meal, we’ll serve it in a cup or bowl as a first course of appetizer, then follow it with Baked Cod, Chicken Cacciatore, or Beef Tenderloin with a side of Broccolini.

How to Store Minestrone Soup

Easy minestrone soup is a super easy weeknight meal that also turns into the next day’s lunch! Although it doesn’t last long in our kitchen, you can make a big batch and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will mingle and in return, the better it will be. Remember that the pasta will likely start to fall apart by the fifth day, so sometimes, we make the pasta separately and add it to each bowl! But can you freeze minestrone soup? Absolutely! Again, we would recommend making it up until the addition of pasta, fully cooling it down, then freezing it. When it comes time to enjoy, heat the soup up to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package, then follow with your greens! Enjoy!

a bowl of homemade minestrone soup topped with parmesan and fresh basil surrounded by parmesan, basil and bread for serving

Tools You’ll Need In This Recipe for Minestrone Soup

More of our Favorite Soups!

Reason #1000 we love soup: it’s a one-bowl complete meal! Sometimes, we love to add a side salad or a veggie, but most times, it’s reheat and eat! Ideal for meal prepping, and it’ll make the entire house smell amazing, too!

a bowl of homemade minestrone soup topped with parmesan and fresh basil surrounded by parmesan, basil and bread for serving

An Easy Homey Minestrone Soup Recipe

Did you make a bowl of hearty, homemade minestrone soup? Tell us what you think! Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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Minestrone Soup

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  35 min
  • Calories:  225

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 5 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup ditalini or other short-cut pasta
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, minced, plus more for serving
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

  2. Add the stock, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and their juices, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the green beans are beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the cannellini beans and pasta. Cook, stirring often for 8 more minutes, until the pasta is nearly tender.

  3. Add the basil and spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and the pasta is tender, about 4 minutes.

  4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a parmesan and basil before serving.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 225
  • Protein 9 g
  • Carbohydrates 34 g
  • Total Fat 6 g
  • Dietary Fiber 8 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 1015 mg
  • Total Sugars 8 g

Minestrone Soup

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Tara

    I want to make the Minestrone soup. It sounds delicious, but please give me some helpful tips? Can I use a crockpot?

    We have not tested this is a slow cooker. For more tips please check the "Tips and Tricks" section in the recipe article. Hope you enjoy Tara!

  • Emily

    This was delicious! The only thing I did differently was to use canned green beans (I was feeling lazy). Will definitely make this again.

    Thanks Emily, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Anna

    Amazing!!!! Will try next time without the pasta!!!!

    Thanks Anna, glad you loved it!

  • Kristin

    This recipe is so delicious! Perfect Fall soup with some crusty bread.

    Thanks Kristin, we are so happy you love it!

  • Genevieve

    This turned out very well, with a very savory broth! Delicious and worth making again. Will add to our meal plan rotation.

    Thanks Genevieve, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Jenn

    This was a family favorite! Going into rotation, thank you!

    Thanks Jenn!